Wondering what Sean Miller is suddenly going to do with all his wing players?
Derrick Williams found out.
“When I got on my visit he showed me a video clip of (Xavier) to show where I would be playing,” Williams said today. “He was saying the two, three and four would all play on the wing. It’s just a motion offense, not one where it’s about who plays the two or three.”
After that, Williams said he was pretty much sold. It helped that Kyle Fogg, another late-bloomer from Southern California, hosted him on his recruiting visit and that he enjoyed meeting all of the other returning players.
But, ultimately, he indicated it was about Miller and the style of play.
“I had really no idea where I wanted to go, either Memphis or Arizona,” Williams said. “It was just a toss-up. I just figured the style of play and coach was basically it.”
Miller now has five big wings: Williams, Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom, D.J. Shumpert and Jamelle Horne. He also has four smaller wings/guards: Kyle Fogg, Brendon Lavender, Garland Judkins and MoMo Jones, though Jones gained respect for his point guard abilities at Oak Hill Academy last season.
Then there’s Nic Wise at the point and big men Alex Jacobson and Kyryl Natyazhko.
That leaves Miller with just one opening for next season, up to two in 2010 (after Wise leaves) and up to three (Horne) in 2011, provided nobody transfers or leaves early.
Some links:
Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal says Williams’ mother didn’t want him going far from home.
Zagsblog says Lance Stephenson’s case was moved again, though at this point it doesn’t seem to matter for Arizona.
Arizona finished 24th in the Directors Cup standings, which measures an athletic program’s overall success.
I figured Williams would stick close to home. He gets two games at USC & UCLA, plus PAC 10 TV coverage. What would he get at Memphis, maybe one trip to the West coast. Always listen to your Mom.
— Robert M 06/29/2009 04:29 PM #
Directors Cup standings must measure blind luck or revisionist history.
— wilburrocks 06/29/2009 04:46 PM #
Makes sense, thanks again BP. Miller seems to have a system down for recruiting visits, and we’ve seen it work quite well thus far.
Now we just need a nickname for our new group of recruits. Fab Five is a classic but it’s been done and I think we can do better, especially since these young men will potentially go down in Arizona basketball lore as the group that put us back on the road to Pac Ten titles and Final Four appearances.
— '97_Cat 06/29/2009 04:49 PM #
2-I agree. UNLV should be in the top 15 instead of #119. They just edged out Washington State. How about that Coug program!!
— vegasallen 06/29/2009 05:09 PM #
NIcknames?
There are 12 of them so how about:
The Dandy Dozen?
Miller’s Miracles?
Or for the 9 wings?
The Wild-wings?
— Ira Mirez 06/29/2009 05:29 PM #
With the athletes that Miller has been able to assemble, he will be able to play the kind of defense he likes best (from what I have read — have not been studying Xavier videos); i.e., pressure on the ball and on the passer; challenge the passing lanes and the post feeds; switch screens at will since the defenders are so nearly interchangeable; use quickness and toughness to own the defensive boards; flow from defense to offense productively, running well and finishing strongly at the rim.
I wouldn’t worry about the offensive end when so many of these guys have shown ability to exploit openings by getting to the hoop or by scoring in the mid-range. The opponent’s defense will not be able to focus on stopping only a couple of guys without giving up those opportunities.
It does seem that Miller has somehow brought in the type of athlete and the level of talent he hopes for. And they could well stay together for 3 or 4 years (with Wise and Horne and then with a couple more blue chips sprinkled in). Amazing!
— Portland Catfan 06/29/2009 05:51 PM #
Very interesting that Wolken’s blurb in the Commercial-Appeal didn’t have a single source quote on Williams making his decision because that’s what his mom wanted…comes accross as sour grapes. Thank you Bruce for actually getting quotes from players to support the position of your blogs. Keep up the great work!
— Maximus 06/29/2009 06:37 PM #
Miller and company have to be excited beyond beleif. There is no way they could have expected for things to go this well for the 2009 season.
This recruiting class is outstanding and it goes to show the excellence carried over from Olson’s success, Miller must be ecstatic and pinching himself.
These are the best players we could have hoped for, there will be no NBA expectations for the next two years this team will be fun to watch develop.
Miller and company have put together the type of team that as a fan of U of A I would fear to play against becuase the talent is so deep, quick, and will definetely stop the free for all from the three point line.
— Poppa Nutt 06/29/2009 07:57 PM #
Thanks for all your work BP, there’s nothing I love reading about more that U of A basketball. Kudos to Miller for his recruiting success, and Kudos to USC for their impeccable timing, if the investigation had happened six months earlier/later, there’s no way we have this level of success. I think we are finally getting back to the type of team that has made U of A so much fun to watch. These kids all seem like they have good character and want to win more than they want to see their names called in the NBA draft. It will be nice to have a bench again this year.
— germy 06/29/2009 08:26 PM #
How about the Future Five?
— Work At Home Dave 06/29/2009 10:20 PM #
germy-Very nice post. You are so right on the money about how perfect the timing was.
— vegasallen 06/29/2009 10:22 PM #
I don’t want to come across as a sour puss, but how about we don’t give them any goofball nickname. How about we just call them Wildcats?
— Steve 06/29/2009 10:49 PM #
I hear ya Steve, but I think “The Foundation Five” has a nice ring to it.
— Phx_cat 06/29/2009 10:55 PM #
Seriously nicknames? Yeah this recruiting class is sick but lets at least wait to see how they do. I don’t want to be reminded of mustafa shakur: #12 overall in his class.
— AV 06/30/2009 02:07 AM #
The ball has not hit the floor yet;let that happen. Remember Lutes “Golden child” or something like that.
— Larry 06/30/2009 08:34 AM #
Agreed – we are setting ourselves up to be jinxed over all the hoopla of the new recruits and coaching staff. I say enjoy our good fortune and let the rebuilding effort take its coarse without drawing any rash conclusions …before Coach Miller gets a chance to coach his first UA game.
— David 06/30/2009 10:53 AM #
Adam Zagoria is reporting that Lance has committed to Cincinatti, which is willing to accept his commitment without awaiting resolution of his pending sexual assault case.
Good luck to him and Cincinatti. The Wildcats will be fine and dandy without him.
— Chevy Chase Catfan 06/30/2009 11:06 AM #
Oh well, I never could spell Cincinnati. My bad.
— Chevy Chase Catfan 06/30/2009 11:09 AM #
I think another couple schollies will open up by 2010 with a couple of holdovers (ie Shumpert and Judkins) transferring.
— davy 06/30/2009 11:31 AM #
Shumpert isn’t transferring. He’s a walk on!!!!! DUH! Where’s he going to go?
— Chi_cat 06/30/2009 01:44 PM #
Anyone notice one of the teams Arizona could possibly play in Maui this year is Cincinnati?!?!
Arizona vs. “Born Ready” would be quite an interesting side story after all the recruiting rumors and turmoil!
— SCDave 06/30/2009 01:49 PM #
Bruce, I’m sure you know Jeff Faraudo of Inside Bay Area.com. He has been around awhile and is well respected as having a pretty good handle re the Pac 10. He published his picks for the coming year. This was done before Williams committed, so don’t know if that would change anything in his mind, but here they are:
1. WASH
2.CAL
3. UCLA
4. OREGON STATE
5 ARIZONA STATE
6. ARIZONA
7. OREGON
8. WSU
9 USC
10. STANFORD.
— Adman 06/30/2009 01:55 PM #
5 wings and all players…ain’t it heaven?!
— Carlos 06/30/2009 03:07 PM #
1. The great thing about the committments of Jones/Williams is that it definitely means no Stephenson. Early on, I was hoping he would come, but I realize after seeing what happened with USC, Tim Floyd, Renardo Sidney, Mayo, that he is trouble we do not need. Time will tell if the NCAA even clears him. Cinn made a deal with the devil.
2. Our offense with 4 perimeter guys and one post will suit our personnel, be exciting, and be played at a fast tempo. Defensively, we will really get after it. Pressure 90 feet, with depth! Players love this style.
3. Miller has been unbelievable so far, but I do think he made one minor error with Shumpert. I have no problem with him guaranteeing his scholarship for the upcoming year, but it was unnecessary to guarantee the next three years! Did he do this out of respect for Lute? Why not take a wait and see approach? Did he underestimate how popular AZ would be with him at the helm? Shumpert vs. a 4 or 5 star 2010 or 2011 player?
Sorry for being long winded but I rarely post and had been saving them up! Go Cats!
— Nevada Wildcat 06/30/2009 03:45 PM #
Adman,
Me again, with a variation on the same theme from the previous thread.
2008-2009: We split games.
2009-2010: UCLA loses four starters, Arizona two. Recruiting classes practically identical in quantity and in quality. The vital back courts are solid at Arizona and shaky at UCLA as per your own admission, but most importantly we will have a great coaching staff, and stability, for the first time in several years.
Would you at least concede that when you forecast the Bruins 3rd in the PAC10 and Zona possibly as low as 8th, you are putting a distance between the two schools that is objectively unjustifiable?
— andre 06/30/2009 04:38 PM #
Nevada — good post, not long-winded. You should post more often. What are you saving it for? (I’m having deja vu feeling, like this may have come up several weeks ago?)
FWIW, my theory about the scholarship for Shumpert:
— better for chemistry to have 11th, 12th, 13th guys on the depth chart who love being on the team and practice with enthusiasm every day, rather than ones who are bitter about their role;
— Shumpert might be more than just insurance by the time he’s an upper-classman;
— Sean Miller just thought it was the right thing to do as well as demonstrating that he cares about all the players, not just the stars.
Seems to me the guys more likely to want to transfer are those getting a few minutes at UA but think they can start or at least play a key role elsewhere. The David Baggas and Josh Pastners may add value to a team for four years even without seeing much action. I don’t think any program can sustain high talent levels from 1 through 13 year after year; the kids have too many options these days.
— Portland Catfan 06/30/2009 04:49 PM #
Andre, my prediction is that Arizona is either 5 or 6, not 8, and who knows what the W & L spread will be.
Looking at the total roster I just don’t see the same talent level. Maybe at an individual position or two, but not when you look at the depth chart.
— Adman 06/30/2009 05:17 PM #
Adman,
I said possibly as low as 8th based on your prediction: “Cal,Wash, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, toss-up UA-ASU-WSU, then fighting it out for the bottom is SC and Stanford.”
At least we seem to be getting a bit closer in your mind. May even catch you.
— andre 06/30/2009 05:50 PM #
Portland – Thanks. One other thought that I had is maybe our lack of depth in the post factored in to the decision. However, Bruce lists Shumpert as a wing, so maybe I am wrong on him being a post player.
— Nevada Wildcat 06/30/2009 06:26 PM #
Portland,
I understand your point but the same could have been achieved by just sticking to the original agreement with Schumpert of renewing his scholarship on a year-to-year basis. He wouldn’t be bitter about that I think. We jumped the gun because we had so many schoolies available at the time, but like Nevada, I wish we had retained the flexibility originally intended when he joined the team.
— andre 06/30/2009 07:25 PM #
Shumpert’s mom claims that there was never any agreements with her son and he was promised a four year ride by Lute and his staff and therefore, I would imagine that Sean’s hands were tied.
— John 07/01/2009 09:37 AM #
As fort the nickname…I like five alive…as in we’re only alive and competing for next season because of these five recruits.
— Simon Bingham 07/01/2009 05:24 PM #
Let’s cut Shumpert some slack. Here’s a guy who turned down scholarship opportunities because he bled red and blue. As an accomplished high school roundballer, I would suggest all he needs is decent chance to prove he’s as good as he was in high school. Loyalty should count for something, even to fair weather fans.
— DC BureauCat 07/01/2009 06:41 PM #